TRH Movie - Clerks II

Aw, you have to be a true Kevin Smith fan to love this movie, which I am, which I did. And it's nice to be pleasantly surprised by it...I didn't laugh so hard I peed my pants like when I saw Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but I did find myself giggling like a silly fool and gasping at a couple of the truly shocking moments. And it's nice to see Jason Mewes so tanned, fit and healthy-looking.

Clerks II has an indie feel to it, lots of cameos, not much of a storyline (Dante and Randal BFF, they break up, they're BFF, there's a love triangle, we see Kevin Smith's wife's boobs, Jay dances), but it was sweet, and even kind of generous in a strange sort of way. And you know, not to spoil it, but doesn't every movie need a good throw down over the counter of a Mooby's with Wanda Sykes? Oh yes, I think it does.

If I have one small criticism is that I'm getting a little tired of the boy-who-refuses-to-grow-up storylines that seem to be dominating so many of the men in my age group on screen. I think EW had something about that in the magazine this week. Especially after seeing the atrocious You, Me and Dupree, if I ever hear, "30 is the new 20," or "40 is the new 30," one more time, I will not be responsible for the hair I might rip out. What's wrong with acting your age, which isn't the message of this movie (rather, be who you are and be happy that you can, well, be happy), but I mean really how many aging playboy/partyboys can there be in the current mainstream?

But I guess that's sort of what this movie has in common, to some extent, with The Break-Up, which was kind of Vince Vaughn's character's evolution out of that whole man-boy trap. Because in the end, it's nice to see how the ten years have actually changed the men in this movie, beyond the (slightly) thinner hair, beginning wrinkles around the eyes and world-wearied expressions.